Broken
by proximityinfatuation
Summary: Leah loved Sam more than anything else. He was her Romeo but what happens if she just isn't his Juliet?
1. Preface

**Preface**

I gently ran my fingers from the tip of his nose down to the back of his head.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" I asked him.

"Are you kidding? It's just a little fever. Besides, I've got the best damn doctor in this planet!"

"Best damn doctor my ass!" I laughed, and soon found him laughing with me.

"Hey, it's getting really hot. Could you help me take my shirt off?" My eyes widened in shock with his little request.

"Don't think green, Leah." He chuckled.

"Sorry." I chuckled back as I helped him up and pulled his sweaty shirt from his body. A surge of pain and insecurity went through me with what I saw—all the muscles his shirt concealed were...way bigger than before. I put the shirt away and looked at him intently, from head to toe. He was already out of my league.

"Hey, you got hotter." I croaked.

"Don't compliments like those usually come with a smile?" His head looked up, and his eyes that I could look at all day were full of curiosity.

"Well, yeah. It's good for you, not that much for me."

"Why?" His meaty fingers got a firm hold of my chin.

"You know, what if you see this girl who's equally as hot as you are? You'd leave me alone."

"I won't, Leah! I'm the one who's afraid of you leaving me for a hotter guy."

"You know I won't. And my situation's more realistic."

There was a long period of silence. Nothing was heard but the pitter-patter of the rain and his heavy breathing.

"You remember those stupid werewolf stories our parent used to tell us?" He broke the silence.

"Yeah. What about them?"

"You remember the imprinting thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I know that werewolves don't exist, Leah. But I'm sure the imprinting thing does."

"It doesn't."

"I believe it does. The way they describe it, it's exactly how I feel about you. If I were a werewolf, I'm definitely sure that you're my imprint."

I couldn't say anything, so I smiled and placed the cold compress on his head. As I watched him drift to sleep, I was sure of how I felt. I love Sam more than anything else, and I don't know what I'd do if he left me.


	2. Angst

**Angst**

"Oh. My. Effing. Gawsh. He's here! _He's here_!" Taylor shrieked.

"Who? _Who_?" Gina and Amy chorused.

"Samuel! Samuel Uley!" In a split second, all three of my friends darted out of their seats, nearly knocking my pizza off the table, and crossed the invisible borderline between the freshmen and the juniors. Crossing the invisible borderline used to be a big deal months ago, but ever since Samuel Uley starred in a juice commercial, crossing that line happens every lunch period.

My eyes followed my friends who were now jumping beside Samuel. The pitch-black hair on his forehead was gelled forward into one spike, as usual. Sunburn left red lines on the bridge of his angular nose and cheeks, just like mine. His white, body-hugging shirt exposed his large chest, biceps and abs, and the scary blue nerves beneath his russet skin curved from his meaty arms down to his knuckles. He was sweating like hell as the swarming students ambushed him for an autograph, but like a celebrity, he was still smiling under pressure though his eyes hinted that he was pissed.

As I watched every single person crowd his table, the blood beneath each inch of my skin boiled with loathing. It was stupid, how seven simple words on national T.V. skyrocketed him to fame and fortune. That's how things are these days, anyway. Looks are frankly the things that matter. Some had to do it the hard way—they had to be embarrassed, enrol in acting lessons, audition in gruelling theatre guilds, join spine tingling contests…and the farthest they could reach was the position of mini theatre club president. Yes, I envied, loathed, hated and wished to kill Samuel Uley more than anyone else, even if, like how my friends put it, he doesn't even know I exist.

Suddenly, Samuel Uley withdrew his head from the many notebooks ahead of him and flashed his impeccable set of pearly whites towards my direction. _Me?_ I scanned the remaining parts of the café behind me, and flushed pale when I discovered that I was the only one left sitting on the tables. I bet my black shirt was in sharp contrast with the white walls of the café. My lips quivered as I reluctantly curved it into a smile.

"What? You think you could get me to walk there and get your autograph like everyone else? You're not that much of a big deal, dude." I muttered to myself, still smiling at him.

"You bitch!" Taylor popped out of nowhere and appeared beside me.

"Huh?"

"Samuel Uley smiled at you!"

"He smiles at everyone." I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, but he set the others aside to smile at _you_. Damn it! Why does he have to smile at the wrong people?"

"What's wrong with _me_?"

"Well, he's wasting his million dollar smile on you, the blind one."

"Blind?"

"Do you honestly know any girl…other than yourself, who isn't in love with _Samuel_?" I rummaged through my head. _Mom isn't in love with Samuel. Oh wait, she had a fight with dad yesterday because she had a poster of him half naked in her cabinet._

"Uhh, my cousin, Emily!" I blurted out as I remembered her.

"Most of your cousins are from the Makah reservation, right?"

"Yeah."

"That explains it, she has no T.V.!" I opened my mouth to argue more, but then I sighed and accepted my defeat.

"Why do you hate Samuel so much? Honestly, he didn't even do anything to you."

"I don't know. It's his face. Something about it gives me a high blood." I lied. God knows the real reason was that I was terribly jealous of him.

"His face? _Are you joking_?"

"Look at me. Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Leah Clearwater, you're not human." She shook her head.

Amidst all the loud café noise, the buzzing sound from the PA that usually meant something was to be announced in a few seconds was heard. Everyone, especially the freshmen, shut up and stood still.

"Attention, freshmen." The principal's firm yet motherly voice echoed through the room. "Club shopping will begin in ten minutes. The club venues are posted on the bulletin board. Upper class men, please proceed to your respective clubs. That would be all, thank you. Have a pleasant day and freshmen, choose your clubs wisely."

"Hey. What club are you going to?"

"Musician's Guild." I answered Taylor. "But they're going to hold auditions before they recruit any members."

"I know twenty people who're trying out for that."

"_Seriously?!_" I gasped. There were only forty freshmen in a school as small as mine, meaning half of our population's trying out for it.

"Well, good luck. My brother says out of twenty, the maximum that club has ever accepted was five."

"Damn it, I'm not gonna pass."

"You will, Leah! You have a nice voice, trust me."

"Sure." I said sarcastically.

"Let's go?"

"Let us." I got my purple backpack from the floor and slung my guitar case to my back. Soon, we were making our way out of the small, café door with the rest of the crowd. After several seconds, I finally got a breath of air and ran past the cracked, dirty-white walls of the school to the bulletin board before I get stuck again.

"Leah! Wait up!" A familiar voice called up. I stopped and turned around, and as expected, it was Rachel Black, one of my closest friends. She was in second year while I was in first. We nearly had the same features, except that her hair was quite shorter than mine and that she looked innocent and kind, unlike how I looked. My mom always tells me that I look like a villainess who hates the world.

"Chelly! What's up?"

"You're trying out for the Musician's Guild?"

"Yup. You?"

"I'm in the Media Club. Musician's Guild is in room 2-1."

"Thanks. How did you know?"

"Becca told me. Good luck, I heard they're gonna be really tough." As much as I didn't want to say it, Rachel isn't helping me at all. I've been worrying about my club for the whole week, and I don't know what I'll do if I don't pass any.

"Dang."

"See ya around. And if you change your mind, try the Media Club. I'll be easy on you." Rachel chuckled. Ahh, the advantages of being an upper-class man.

"Thanks for the offer, Chelly. Bye!" I waved my free hand at her and whirred toward the staircase that led to the second year classrooms. As I reached the second floor, I felt like I was shrinking. Everyone there was older than me, and I was the only freshman there since the rest are still looking at the bulleting board. They were all so tall, so mature—so intimidating. The way they're going about their teenage life by laughing, horsing around and all was so scary. I tried to focus on finding the room, but being frightened by their boisterous laughing was inevitable.

Luckily, room 2-1 was just beside me, and spared me minutes of going past older people. I reluctantly twisted the doorknob and entered the empty classroom. Just like ours, it was cream with wooden desks, walls, floors and a wooden ceiling with four electric fans hanging from there. The sunlight that seeped into the room was so bright and blinding, unlike how it was in our classroom because of the oak tree outside the windows.

"You trying out?" A deep, thunder-like voice startled me and forced one gasp out of my mouth. I turned around and saw _him_.

_What the hell is he doing here? Don't tell me I'll be singing to him!_

"Y-yes." I stuttered. Samuel was too close to me; maybe if I trip over, I'd certainly fall on him. I was face to face with his throat. He had such a big Adam's apple.

"Okay. Fill this up." His warm breath fanned against the tip of my head. Before it could even start sending shivers down my spine, I grabbed the small, white paper he was handing.

"Thanks." I took my eyes off of him and headed for the nearest desk.

"You'll be first. And if you know that you'll be wasting our time, don't even bother." He threatened. At first I was confused. Why was the all-smiling-heartthrob suddenly a monster? But I was more of mad. I looked back at him to give him a glare, but his broad back was already facing me.

"Fuck you."I murmured under my breath as I jotted my name, and nickname down.

The door creaked open and a head peeked. It was Rebecca Black.

"Sam! The freshies are here."

"Let them in. And give them the application forms." For that second, he suddenly reminded me of some childhood memories. He was like a character from a fairytale I used to watch ten times a day on VHS when I was seven. He was like the beast from Beauty and the Beast—the way he was so big and how he doesn't show his face, it was so much like him, except that he didn't really look much of a beast.

The room was slowly filled with faces I know well. They were my twenty out of forty batch mates that Taylor was talking about. Each of them was carrying their own instruments except the ones who'll be trying for drums and keyboards because it would be provided.

"No talking. If you wanna talk, get out of this room and find another club. Just fill those in. And no practicing. You should have practiced earlier. Clearwater, you done?" _How the hell did he know my name? _I dismissed the question and continued cramming the last part of the form. "Almost."

"Will you hurry the hell up! You're wasting our time!" Rebecca demanded. I swiftly turned to her and glowered. Rachel was the better twin, I never really liked Rebecca—even if my mother says we have a lot in common.

"Chill, I'm done." I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my guitar and handed Samuel the form.

"Some freshman." Rebecca grunted. I know it would make me childish, but I stuck my tongue out at her as Samuel led me to another room.

"That's not the right way of talking to a mentor, Clearwater." My anger issues were going to come back any minute, but I sucked in a breath of air and calmed down.

"Well, that's not the right way of talking to a freshman either. She acts like she has never been one." Samuel opened the next door for me, and my heart was thumping like crazy with what I saw.

It was black, like the door led to oblivion. I suddenly had the strange idea that he'd rape me.

"Go!" He pushed me inside with such great force that I felt my pizza climb up.

"Who is she?" A voice that came from somewhere in front of me asked. It was husky, but I was sure it was a girl.

"Leah Clearwater." Samuel replied.

"And what instrument are you going to play?" Another voice asked. This time, the voice was high-pitched and girly.

"I'm going to sing and play the guitar." I answered back to the darkness.

"What song?" Another voice asked.

"Beneath the Cherry Blossoms by Suzanna Carolina." Suddenly, the windows flung open and the sunlight seemed like it exploded in front of my eyes. All twenty chairs of the classroom were filled with people from the higher levels, but those people looked like the popular kind. My stomach was churning, and my inferiority complex was at its peak. There was one chair, though, that was at the very front, and Samuel sat on it.

"Okay, go." He said. I positioned my fingers on the first chord, but I took one more second to remember the first line. I strummed the intro and opened my mouth to sing the first verse.

"Wait." Rebecca Black stopped me. "Did you read the instructions on the poster?" She asked me with scorching eyes. She was getting back at me.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It says that you should tone your guitar before you audition. Your guitar is badly tuned. Tune it." At that moment, I was drowned of blood. I was cold as a corpse.

"What?" The girl beside her asked.

"Umm."

"_What!?" _

"I-I don't know how." I admitted. All of them burst into laughter. How they were all so different and the same in a sense, it produced an intimidating kind. It was the laugh that told you that you didn't have a right to live.

"So, you're auditioning for the _Musician's Guild_ and you don't know how to tune a guitar? How pathetic! " She said as she was laughing with the rest. I'd really do anything so that the earth would swallow me alive.

"I'll tune it." Samuel rose from his seat and took the guitar out of my hands and tuned it. As he was, I was thinking of either leaving it with him as I dart out of the room or face further upper class men embarrassment.

"Here." He shoved it into my chest. I was too busy being on the verge of crying to give him a glower.

"Again." Rebecca demanded. I cleared my throat and placed my hands on the right position. The first verse was a breeze, and so was the bridge and the chorus. It just came in automatically, even if half of my soul wasn't with me.

"Okay, you can stop now." A buff, blonde guy said. I wrapped the song up and half of my soul descended back to my body. I had no idea on how I sounded like, and that I was burning hot.

"Tell us why we should accept you." I paused for a while to think.

"You should accept me because I'm very dedicated and I'll really pour my heart into this." _Eww, that sucked._

"Dedicated?" Samuel asked. "Prove it."

"How?"

"Bow down to me, plead and kiss my feet." He said with a grin. I looked into his eyes, they were piercing and were set deep into his face.

"You serious?" I asked. All of the people gasped, and I thought it seemed scripted.

"Of course! Do I look like I'm not?" He bragged. I don't know how it happened, but half of my soul flew away again. I was possessed with another one. I dropped my guitar, knelt down and kissed his dirty, white sneakers. I couldn't believe what I've just done. It wasn't me.

"That's not enough." A cheeky looking red head said.

"Why don't you strip in front of Sam? We'll definitely let you pass you if you do that." Rebecca said with a laugh. Everyone started howling so loud that my world seemed like it was spinning.

"Go on!" The blonde boy encouraged with a smile. Sam stood from his seat, stayed so close to me and laughed a very loud laugh—like it was the laugh of Zeus.

"C'mon, Clearwater!" He nudged me and laughed again.

"No." I whispered weakly.

"I know you want to." He raised his eyebrows, and that was the last straw. This time, I knew what I was doing. I raised my best hand, gave one, swift swing and gathered all my strength as it was about to touch his cheeks.

"_Bastard!_" I shrieked. My blood was boiling. _He thinks he's all that. He thinks I'd give in._ I examined the red mark that was the shape of my hand on his cheek. I wanted to give him another one.

"_I'm not a pig, Uley! I'm not like everyone else! If this club is this fucked up, never mind!" _I grabbed my guitar and stomped my way out of the room. The guitar hit the doorframe a lot of times, but that didn't matter now.


	3. Party

Party

**Party**

I was starting to get feverish, like there was an orb of fire around me. Suddenly, I had a stupid picture of myself getting warmer and then exploding into a monster whenever I'm this provoked. A laugh escaped from my mouth—I'd definitely turn into a monster very often.

Only a few more steps and I'd be near my house. La Push was picturesque today—blocks of clouds were dyed pink and orange because of twilight, the rays of the setting sun made the sea water sparkle, the sounds of the crashing waves were soothing and the salty sea breeze fanned through my face. They all seemed like they were calling my name.

Emily always tells me that I'm weird because I always do things just because I felt like doing them, and she's right. I felt like walking into the beach, just standing there, all wet. Without sparing a second to doubt, I dropped my guitar and my bag, took my sneakers off and ran to the beach, the sand tickling my feet.

I was there, walking deeper into the ocean, the waves pounding into my body then swimming out toward the shore. I had my clothes on, all wet, cold and clinging to my body. I forgot all about my anger, I just let my body drift to wherever the waves take me, with eyes closed.

"Leah! _What the hell_?" Emily's voice echoed through the cliffs. From oblivion, I was sucked back into reality. Among my twenty cousins, Emily was my favourite. She's a sister to me although she just stays with me every October. I know her secrets, and she knows mine. If I had a problem, I'd run to her first, and she'd do the same too. We really are like sisters-- we had the same ebony hair, figure, skin tone and many more. She just had wavy, shoulder-length hair, a heart-shaped face and wide eyes, as if she was looking forward to the future with so much hope. Her only flaw was her lips—they were quite thick, dry and chapped; but all in all, Emily was pretty.

"_Come back here_!"

"_Alright_!" I shouted. It was easy following where the waves take you, but it was hard fighting it. I made my way out of the beach, but it took some time since I'd be pushed back, wave after wave. Finally, I reached the shore. The uncomfortable feeling my clothes brought sank in.

"You're being a lunatic again, Leah. Please be reminded of that party your dad's throwing tonight." Emily said as she picked my stuff up.

"Bah! I'm just gonna lock myself up. His parties are usually for old people. Besides, I need refreshment. You don't know the hell I've gone through a while ago."

"Try me."

"Well, that stupid air-head Sam Uley nearly harassed me today."

"Sam Uley? You serious?" She gasped. "He looks like a gentleman. Did you see his commercial?"

"What can I say, he's an actor." Emily looked flummoxed. I sipped in a breath of fresh air before I took off and told her the whole story.

* * *

"_A shirt and jeans_?!" My mother's shriek made me drop the novel that I was reading. She looked like her usual self—like an aged me, except that she had short, curly hair and a broad forehead. She was wearing her expensive brown dress tonight, and excellently paired it off with her glossy, yellow high-heels.

"What's wrong?"

"This is a fomal party, Leah!"

"I'm not stupid, ma. I could see your little cocktail dress."

"Then why do you look like you're just going to a mall?"

"Because I hate dresses. I have none, remember?"

"Because you throw tantrums when I buy you one!" I love my mother so much, but I don't know where all that love goes when we argue about how I'm not lady-like.

"Look at Emily. She's wearing a dress. Why can't you?"

"Because I'm Leah!"

"You don't come out unless you change your clothes, Leah!" She swiftly turned around, the black locks of her hair swayed with the hem of her dress, and walked out of the door. I turned to Emily, still calm as she flipped through some of my books. She was used to this.

"I'll just bring you food, okay?"

"Thanks." I said as I reached for the remote. Emily stood from my white couch and headed for the door. There were so many good shows that I didn't know what I'd pick

After two comedy sitcoms, my stomach started to grumble, twist and turn. The wall clock says it's nine o'clock, an hour past my usual dinner time. Where was Emily? She should have been back minutes ago with a plate of chicken, spaghetti and a cup of soda. My stomach would spew lava if I wait for one more minute so I turned the T.V. off and dragged myself downstairs.

Unlike all the other typical La Push houses, ours was different. Like the rest, it was wooden on the outside, but it didn't retain the cottage theme in the interiors. Our wooden floors were varnished, walls covered in dainty wallpapers that had flower patterns, almost every surface were laden with flower vases that held flowers of pastel colours and ceilings decked with little chandeliers that emanated gentle, yellow light. It looked like it was transported from the 50s, and it suited old people parties.

I was overwhelmed when I nearly reached the first floor. The party was not at all how I expected it to be. Dad's parties are usually full of old people talking about mid-life crisis and diabetes, but this party had a

lot of people who were around my age. Seth with his two friends, Collin and Brady, were sitting on the stairs, playing with their robots.

"Excuse me." I muttered as I passed between the muffin-like Collin and the skinny Brady, both with brownish hair. "Eww, kooties!" Brady whined in his young, high-pitched voice.

"Leah has no kooties! She's my sister!" Seth defended. I looked into his tawny eyes, smiled at him and planted a kiss on his rosy cheek.

"_Eww_!" Collin and Brady's screams trailed off as I headed for the living room.

The Black twins were the first people I saw perched on the blue couch in the living room, pigging out on a bowl of ice cream. I know it's ungrateful of me, but Rachel seems like a blur in the background whenever Emily's around. There was a boy eating a hotdog beside them. He had long hair and was slender, but healthy, though his cheeks were full. His small, black eyes lingered around the house. There were two boys seated on the floor just by his feet. One was bald with small eyes, and he resembled a bulldog. The other looked like the boy beside the Black twins, except that he was taller and had duller features. Gigantic Uncle Billy who I ran away from as a child was just by the door with my dad, talking like long lost brothers.

I proceeded to the dining room. My Aunt Martha, Josephine, Helen, Kate and Uncle Greg were sitting together, talking about how big this guy named Jared got. Perhaps he was the guy at the very end of the table. He was as tall as I am, with brown hair, brown eyes and skin that was fairer than a typical local's. All in all, he was handsome even if he looked uncomfortable in his red vest. The spaghetti wasn't there anymore, so I assumed that it was back in the kitchen.

By the time I set foot there, I saw someone bending over our cooler, rummaging through the ice.

"Here." The guy said as he stood straight, his deep voice scared me. He handed me the glass he was holding. He was taller than me, and very meaty. His hair was shaved, nearly bald. To me, he seemed like a gentle giant.

"Thank you." I smiled at the helpful guy, whoever he was.

"Paul, could you get me a glass of orange soda, please?" Aunt Helen's choppy voice called out from the dining room.

"Coming, mom." The boy replied. I poured the bottle of soda into my glass and got a plate of spaghetti.

"Do you know where the chicken is?" I reluctantly asked him.

"It's in the backyard." He answered with a smile. He had deep dimples, something I'd die for.

There were more people outside, but they were mostly old. My mother was by the buffet table, chatting with Old Man Quil and a group of other grown-ups. Stealthily, I pranced to where the chicken legs lay, snagged two and ran back to my room. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Emily and a guy isolated

on the far right side of the backyard, and thick, hot water started to brew in my heart as I knew who he was.

How the heck did he end up in this part of the world? Why was he here? Why was she there after I told her how pervy and arrogant he was? I gave them my full attention. They looked serious, Samuel looked like he carried the world's problems and Emily looked worried for him. I was too hungry to give a damn, so I erased it from my head for a while and focused on satiating my hunger.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" My father blocked the stairs.

"Upstairs. Mom says I can't join in unless I dress up appropriately."

"That's not important now. You eat here with all of us. Just join them." He jerked towards the Black twins and the three boys near them.

"I barely know them, dad."

"That's the point." There was no way anyone could change my dad's mind. He was hard as a rock, and anyone would end up getting into graver consequences if one didn't follow him right away. Although against my will, I changed ways and sat beside Rachel on the couch.

"Hi, Leah!" She sang. Rebecca looked at me for a split-second, then looked away.

"Hello."

"Ohh yeah, this is my brother, Jacob." She pointed at the boy beside Rebecca. "He's in the seventh grade. Jacob, this is Leah."

"Hey, do you remember our religion class a while ago? About the patriarchs?" The cute, bull-dog looking boy asked the one that looked like Jacob.

"What about it?" He replied.

"Jacob's wife's name was Leah. Wow, Jacob, you're meant to be!" The two burst into laughter.

"_Shut up_!" Jacob exclaimed as he looked away from me.

"Hi, I'm Embry. This is Quil and that's Jacob. He thinks you're pretty."

"Damn you, Embry!"

"No, no. It's okay. Thank you, Jacob." I said to spare him from embarrassment. Embry and Quil looked disappointed.

"Kids, please go to the backyard right now!" Uncle Billy's voice that was booming and full of authority called out. We all dropped carried our eating utensils and walked to the backyard, Quil and Embry pushing Jacob to me after every five seconds.

"Will you kids please form a circle and sit down? Thank you." My mother purred. We followed her. I was sandwiched between Rachel and the Jared guy.

"Good for you." He said out of the blue. I turned to him.

"Huh?"

"You're in casual clothes. I'm stuck in this shit."

"That's okay. I think this will end soon, anyway."

"By the way, I'm Jared Watson. And you are?"

"Leah Clearwater."

"Nice to meet you. I really don't get it. I've never seen any of you people before and my parents nagged me to come to this party. What's the deal?"

"I know, right? It's like they just put random La Push kids together."

"Settle down, children!" Old Man Quil demanded. We all kept quiet. Nothing was heard but the song of the crickets and the crashing of the waves.

"We all know that it is believed that we descended from werewolves." Old Man Quil started off. Before I could give my violent reactions, everyone else in the circle did the honours for me.

Everyone was groaning, shouting and complaining, the loudest being Paul and Jared.

"Your parents tell you those stories too?" I asked him.

"Yeah, just every stinking day of my life. Hey, could you show me where the bathroom is? I can't find it." Our bathroom wasn't in the common hall; it was between my room and Seth's.

"Follow me." I gestured toward the back door. Everyone else stood up too, and went about their normal business. I pitied our parents for a while, but they just have to learn that we're old now. Werewolves don't exist.

"Here." I kicked the bathroom door open when we reached Seth's room and he thanked me with a grin. I went back downstairs and headed back to the backyard as I remembered that I left my food there. Sam and Emily weren't there anymore, just the elders.

"We have to get them to listen, Quil! We can't just give up!"

"Billy, why does it matter so much to you? I'm sure it won't happen again."

"_Won't happen again_?!" Uncle Bill's outraged scream made my heart skip a beat. "Don't you know?"

"About what?"

"The Cullens. The Cullens are back."


	4. Seattle

Seattle

******Seattle**

"What's that called again? Hair relax?"

"Yeah. You should keep getting one so your hair will stay like that for long." If I am not mistaken, it was Rachel and Emily who were talking, but I was too sleepy to give a damn on how the hell they met, or to even open my eyes.

"What times is it?'

"4:07 PM." Then, all of a sudden, I had all the energy I needed to react. In a snap, I sat up straight; my sight was still half black.

"_4:07?!_" I exclaimed. I suddenly saw Emily and Rachel just by the foot of my bed, and I became fully awake when I saw that Emily's wavy hair was now silky straight.

"Don't worry, Leah. It's the feast day of our school's patron saint, remember? We have no classes." It all came back to me. Today was a holiday, and apparently, I spent half of it sleeping. It made sense, though; it made sense that I overslept too much. For the past few days, I'd sleep at four in the morning then wake up at seven for school.

"Okay, how did you know each other and why is Emily's hair straight?"

"Well, I went to your house to visit you this morning, then Emily says you're still asleep. I needed someone to come to the salon with me, so I took her instead. And here we are now."

"You never told me you had such a nice friend, Leah." Emily chirped as she stroked her now utterly straight hair. "Hey, let's take pictures!"

"C'mon!" Rachel agreed exuberantly. There was no surprise there. Rachel loved her face.

I did my best to defy the gravity of my bed by carrying my body out of it. By the time my feet touched the cold tiles of my room, my head was throbbing rapidly, but it was still bearable.

"C'mon, sleepyhead!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I said with a yawn. I sat down on the floor with them, and inserted myself in the middle.

"1,2,3!" The flash blinded my eyes, and my sight was half black all over again.

"Look at us!" Emily nudged me with her camera. I looked at the screen and there I was, obviously from a long sleep, with hair pointing at every direction and small eyes that weren't ready to open.

"I'm going to develop these."

"Send me a copy!"

"Okay, I'll just mail it to Leah then she'll give it to you."

"Is Leah awake already?" My dad's voice called out from outside my room.

"Yes, uncle." Emily shouted back.

"Tell her to take a bath and get dressed for me, Ems. Thank you."

"Get dressed for what?" I wondered.

"Our folks are planning another get together thing."

"With the same people from last night?"

"Yeah, I guess." The faces that I've seen that night flashed through my eyes. All of them were strangers to me, but they were all interesting people.

"Omg, I can't believe Sam was there. He was so freaking hot!" The despicable sentence that came out from Rachel's mouth was followed by a series of her ear-piercing shrieks.

"I hate you, Emily! He was talking to you the whole night!"

"Don't jump to conclusions. He was talking to me because he kept asking stuff about Leah." A shiver rolled down my spine. What If Emily told him really personal info? He could stalk me and rape me, then kill me and throw my body into the sea. It was possible. He's a maniac.

"And you told him _what_?" I demanded.

"Oh, nothing. Just that you're really weird, nonconformist, a little goth on the inside, really kind but really mean if a person gives you a reason to be mean. And I told him how stupid you could get sometimes." I was relieved. It was a good thing he didn't ask about my bra size or what.

"I think he likes you. He was ambushing me with questions. I could have been fed up if it wasn't for his face."

"Eww, you think he's cute?"

"Yeah. And he's an only son. He takes good care of his mom. And did you see the way he treated the elders? He was so respectful."

"Then explain what he did to me in the auditions."

"The club moderator asked him to be mean and to embarrass the people who try out. You know, to see how dedicated they are. And now he's scared because he thinks you hate him."

"Hell yeah."

"Give him a chance, Leah. You might not see it now, but he's not what he looks like."

"Oh no, he's brain washed you." I clucked my tongue in dismay.

"You better take a bath now. They're leaving in an hour." Rachel interrupted.

"Leaving? What do you mean?"

"You guys are going to Seattle." At the mention of the word, my stomach lurched wildly. Seattle was a big city, with numerous buildings that kissed the clouds, cars going about everywhere, lights that brightened the city, and the city folks—so classy, so urban. I was nothing like them I was plain, and I don't even think I have a single piece of clothing that was above twenty dollars.

"You two aren't coming?"

"Rebecca's sick, I have a media club outing and Emily's got to pack her clothes. I guess you're the only girl there."

* * *

I was awakened by the boisterous noise everyone in the car made. Seth's rigid movements knocked my head off his shoulder, and that kind of ticked me off. It was dark in the van. It was already nighttime.

"Wake-up, Leah. We're in Seattle." His small finger pointed at the window, and the sight intimidated me. The street beside us was adorned with palm trees, and there were yellow lights by their roots, as if they were on a spotlight. Beyond those columns of trees, there were all kinds high-end botiques and people, but the only thing similar about them was that they dressed in an urban, upper class kind of way. Each time we passed an intersection, we'd see statues of angels spewing water out of their mouth—a fountain. All in all, Seattle was too big and fancy that there would never come a day that La Push would compare.

"Alright kids, we're here." My father announced from the driver's seat. All the other grown ups were in the red car that was just at our tail. Slowly, the van crept to a stop across a big building.

I couldn't tell if it was a mall or a hotel, but it was beautiful. Beside the glass entrance was a Starbucks outlet and an Italian restaurant.

"Okay, fellers, you have your pocket money with you?

"Yes." We all answered in chorus, my voice being only the female one.

"Alright, have fun in the mall, guys. Just go to the Japanese restaurant that's two blocks away, okay?"

"Okay." We all said. Seth slid the door open, and we climbed out one by one. Seth went first, then me, Brady, Collin, Paul, Sam, Jared, Quil, Embry then Jacob. The van took off, and it was just us left there, gazing at the humongous mall.

"I think I'm underdressed." Quil gulped. He was, with only a faded, blue polo, jeans and muddy rubber shoes. We all were, except Sam. He was wearing a black shirt with a black jacket, jeans and brown, leather shoes I took another look and changed my mind. He was underdressed too, but he made his clothes look expensive.

"Well, I'm not sticking to this whole bond thing they want us to do." Paul laughed boisterously.

"Adios, amigos. You're on your own now." He said as he walked down the street.

"I'm going with him." Jared said as he caught up with Paul. Sam walked away alone, but he went inside the mall.

"I wanna see a movie." Embry said. He turned around and entered the mall, Jacob and Quil followed.

I looked around. It was only me, Seth, Brady and Collin that were left together, and I didn't like it one bit. The age gap was too big, plus they were boys, but I had no choice. I had to succumb to their childish cravings if I didn't want to be alone.

"So, where do you guys wanna go?" I asked them with a fake smile.

"Arcade!" They chorused. In a gunshot, they whirred toward the mall, and I unwillingly followed them.

The automatic door opened for us, and a gust of cold air blew right through me, like a thousand daggers piercing through my skin. I bet there were hundreds of air conditioners per floor that were in full blast. Other than that, there was fancy jazz music that filled the whole place. The floor was made of black marble, roof made of mirrors, and the main source of light was a gigantic chandelier that hung from way up the last floor.

"So where's the arcade?" Collin asked.

"Wait I'll ask the guard." I turned away and tapped the guard who was intently looking at a beauty shop's window display.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you know where the arcade is?"

"Fourth floor, ma'am."

"Thank you." The boys probably heard what he said. They ran past a series of luxurious restaurants, and then climbed the already moving escalator. They did the same on the second and third floor, and by the time we reached the fourth floor, I was out of breath and my heart was palpitating rapidly.

"There it is!" Flashing lights of different colours reflected on Seth's deep black eyes. He was obviously looking at the arcade. It was just a few steps in front of us, and the clamour of arcade goers and the sounds the machines made flowed into my ears. They raced towards it. I didn't want to butt in, so I turned around and rode the down escalator. To where? I didn't know.

* * *

I don't know how many times I rode the escalator while sitting down since I lost track. Whenever I reach the first floor, I'd ride the up escalator until I reach the last floor. That's how bored I was, and all the by passers probably memorized my face. I also swept the whole mall—I entered every shop, sat in every restaurant and talked to nearly every saleslady. I think I've been doing it all for two hours.

"Excuse me?" The guard from the first floor approached me as I left the last down escalator. His last name was Smith, and I memorized because of the nth times I've seen his name patch.

"Yeah?"

"The other guards are complaining about what you're doing. Could you try to settle down somewhere other than on the escalators?" He asked politely.

"Sure. Sorry for the burden." I answered back blithely. Now my next problem was where to settle down. I knew the answer as soon as my eyes saw Starbucks.

I retrieved my frap from the counter, and I was amused because of my name that was scribbled on the plastic cup. I scanned the whole room for a vacant seat, but every seat was occupied. After scanning the room for the second time, I noticed a brown loveseat by the corner with only one person sitting on it. I hope he won't mind. I bravely walked toward the seat and inhaled before I spoke to the man who was intently reading the newspapers.

"Do you mind sharing seats?" I asked with a smile in my voice. The man put the paper down, and I couldn't believe how small this mall was.

It was Samuel, wearing black rimmed reading glasses, and it made him look like a grown man. Without any trace of emotion in his face he said, "Not at all."

I trusted Emily more than anyone else, so even if my intuition was telling me to find another seat, I hesitantly took the small space beside him. He folded the newspaper he was reading, and drank his coffee, his big throat quivering gulp after gulp.

"Why are you alone?" He asked me in his thick, dark voice.

"The boys are in the arcade. I don't want to interrupt them." Amidst the soothing tones of bosa nova that filled the room, there was awkward silence between us. Each sip I took out of my frap didn't make any sense to my tongue.

"Aren't you mad?" He finally broke it, and I was surprised to find myself relieved that he did.

"Because of what you did? Yeah, I was, but Emily told me not to. She's like my right hand or something. I do whatever she tells me to."

"I'm really sorry." He looked me in the eyes, and goose bumps suddenly protruded from my skin. His eyes were so dark, so black, as if I were looking into the bottom of a deep well. Even if he was the one saying sorry, it was as if he wasn't swallowing his pride. He still looked superior.

"That's okay. I heard you guys were...required to be assholes."

"Yeah. I hope you know I'm not."

"I've heard."

The coffee shop was getting more crowded, and all the bosa nova was overpowered by the hustle and bustle of incoming customers.

"Shit. Let's get out of here." He whispered.

"Why?"

"Groupies." I suddenly had a spark of envy. If I were famous, I'd never turn fans down. Heck, I'd do anything to have one. Samuel stood from his seat, leaving the half empty cup on the table. He gestured toward the door and I followed him out of the room, but I was still sipping on my frap. There were giggles, irritating ones, when we went past a table of teenage girls.

"You don't like having fans?" I asked sternly.

"Not really. It just gets annoying sometimes. Your cheeks really hurt from being all smiley-smiley." It was only then that I recognized something. He was so different from how people know him. If you didn't know him, you'd see him smiling every second; but if you did, you barely see him smile. He was so dark, so broody. There's obviously a story behind it all.

"I think you should pick the boys up. They must be hungry now."

"Right." We headed for the escalators, those things that now seemed like my new best friends.

We finally reached the fourth floor and immediately spotted the three boys lounging on a bench in front of the arcade.

"Hello, boys." Samuel greeted them all, and their eyes all widened when they realized that we were together.

"How did your night go?" I asked Seth.

"We only lasted for an hour because we ran out of cash."

"I'm hungry." Collin complained. Samuel squatted down in front of him and asked, "Where do you want to eat?"

"Mc Donald's!" They all urged.

"McDonald's it is." Right on cue, the boys headed for the escalator, leaving the two of us behind.

"If you're expecting me to treat them, I'm sorry but I'm broke."

"Don't worry. I'll pay for it all."

"It rocks being rich, doesn't it?"

"Money isn't everything."

"So, where's McDonald's?" Samuel asked by the time we exited the mall.

"Just across the street." I looked at McDonald's that was just in front of me. It was so near, but the cars that loomed by at full speed made it look so far.

"Here's what we do," He demanded in a voice full of authority. "Seth, you ride on my back. Collin and Brady, hold on to Leah, alright?" With his command, Seth jumped on his back, wrapping his hands around Samuel's neck. Collin held Brady by the elbow, while Brady held me by the hand.

As Samuel was warily looked at the left and right with intense eyes, everything I thought about him changed. He wasn't an air head at all. He cared about others. In fact, now, Seth looked like his kid and he looked like a responsible parent. He'd make a good father, and whoever his wife will be is damn lucky.

"Alright, we're clear. Let's go." There was something that slithered underneath my free hand. I only realized what it was when it tightly clutched it. It was Samuel's hand, each meaty finger filling in the gaps between mine, our palms were warm pressed against each other.

We made it to the other end, and he let go of my hand, ever so slowly, ever so painfully. Why was I aching for more? It can't be.

As we entered the restaurant and waited in line, there were so many things that were running in my head. I can't be like every other common girl who likes him. It was my reputation, being a nonconformist. I had to fight this. I'm not an ordinary girl.

"What do you want?" He asked me.

"Fries will do." I answered him without looking.

"Fries and five cups of Coke, please. And Four pieces of chicken with a happy meal." He told the cashier.

"You're giving us a happy meal?" Brady's eyes sparkled with glee.

"Yep."

I gulped my pride in and said, "Thanks for all this."

"Yeah, anything for my mother's friend's children." He laughed.

The order came in so fast. I helped him carry the trays and we settled on a vacant table. They all started pigging out, eating like there was no tomorrow. I wasn't hungry at all, so I turned out to be eating my fries so lifelessly as I gazed outside the misty window.

"Samuel..."Seth set his clean plate aside.

"Just call me Sam. What is it?"

"Could we play in the playground?"

"Ask your sister."

"Sure, you can." The three left their seats, leaving me and Sam alone. I stole one glance from his face, and there was gravy near his mouth and on the tip of his sharp nose.

"You've got gravy."

"Where?"

"Near your mouth and on your nose." He took the tissue from the tray, and patted a spot near his cheeks, but the spot was too high.

"Lower." He lowered it down, but it was too low.

"I'll get it." I rolled my eyes and took the tissue from his hand. I only came to my senses when I my face was so close to his, when I was about to lay my hand on his cheek. His breath that smelled like a whiff of the aroma of coffee and the sweet scent of cinnamons fanned through my face. What the hell did I just agree to do? There was no way out now. I gently wiped the gravy off his cheek and his nose, warm blood racing up to my cheeks.

"You're red."

"Huh?" He withdrew one hand from under the table and tenderly touched one of my cheeks.

"Oh."


	5. Revelation

**Revelation**

I don't know how long I've been awake. It seems like an eternity. The cool, ocean air that blew through my window and the luminous moonlight that seeped from the curtains were unable to lull me.

_Sam. Sam. Sam. _That was all my brain was thinking of. It's been hours that he's been running in my head. Somehow, I was weary of it, and somehow, I wanted to go on and on. Thankfully, the quiet of the night soon took shape and pressed in on me.

The dark blue of early dawn filled my whole room—a sign that I was supposed to be taking a bath. I obviously lacked hours and hours of sleep, but in a snap, I stood up and my speed while running to the bathroom overwhelmed me. After taking a fast shower, I combed my hair and looked into the bathroom mirror; there were deep, dark circles under my eyes, but why didn't I act like I was tired? Maybe it's Sam's fault. Slowly, he became my personal ecstasy.

As I swung my cabinet open, something happened for the first time. I was actually choosing my clothes. I'd usually just pick-up the first ones I see but now, I was actually mixing and matching them. After I tossed my favourite brown shirt and my favourite kaki on the bed, I froze at the sudden realization. I was starting to be a slut. Why was I dressing up for a guy? I despised people who do that, but now I'm becoming one of them. Quickly, I threw my shirt and kaki back to the cabinet and picked-up random clothes, like how I usually would. I wore them and rushed out of my room and down the stairs before I even change my mind.

"Good morning, Leah!" Seth's cheerful greeting was muffled because his mouth was full of cereals.

"Morning, Seth!" I ruffled his hair and took my usual seat. My bowl of cereal was already prepared and I ate them quickly.

"_Leah, are you mad_?" My mother barged into the dining room.

"Huh?"

"You're wearing a red shirt with purple shorts and yellow sneakers! Are you a clown?"

"Tss. Don't mind it."

"I know you just pick up the first things you see but, _why this_? You're a walking joke! Come here, I'll dress you up." I don't like it when my mother dresses me up because she was good at it, and wearing good clothes was against my reputation. I know it was rude of me, but I stood up and ran as fast as I could to my bathroom to grab my toothbrush and toothpaste. I placed them in my pocket and braced myself for another fast run out of the house.

"Sorry, mom."

"_Leah, you come back here_!" My mother's scream of authority trailed off as I sped farther and farther from the house.

I finally reached Quileute High and made my way past the main hallway. Everybody was looking at me. They would look away if I catch them, but I could still feel their stares on my back and from the corner of my eyes. Finally, I reached the bathroom door. I went in the deserted room that was decked with vandalism everywhere and I started to brush my teeth.

* * *

The piercing lunch bell filled the school and summoned us out of our seats.

"Leah…" Taylor said reluctantly as she caught up with my pacing.

"Yes?"

"You tell her, Gina."

"No, you." Gina looked down at the floor.

"Well, Leah, you look weird."

"I've heard."

"We just had to say it. Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. I know I look weird, and thanks for being honest."

The hallway was quite cramped with students, but there was a big clog of them by the water fountain.

"What's up with the crowd?"

"Maybe it's Samuel." Taylor said as she stood on her toes to see what was going on. I stood on my toes too, but I was too small to look beyond all the heads.

"Why are you looking for Sam? I thought you hated him?"  
"Who says I like him? I just wanna confirm if he's really the one causing the block."

"Okay, chill. No need to be so feisty!" Gina's comment caught me off guard. I was being obvious.

Not so long after that, the three of us were already beside the clog by the water fountain. Taylor was right; it was Sam who was causing the clog, rather, his fans were.

It wasn't the Sam I knew who was standing at the center, it was the Sam I hated, the famous commercial model, the smiley-smiley Sam as he once put it. His cheeks probably hurt by now.

My heart was pounding fast as I saw him turn his head away from the older girls surrounding him. He was looking at my direction, and I didn't know what I was praying for. A part of me was praying that he'd snob me, so that Gina and Taylor wouldn't know, but a part of me was praying that he wouldn't

He smiled and waved at my direction, and I looked around to see if he was pertaining to me.

"Yeah, you." He chuckled. "Hi, Leah!" My smile came naturally.

"Hey!" As much as I hated it, I thwarted myself from him and moved along.

"_Samuel knows you?!_" Gina asked. It was more of an exclamation rather than a question. Gina slapped my ass and Taylor shook me by the shoulders.

"Yeah. He's a family friend."

"So you don't hate him now?"

"_Hell no_!"

"Yeah, right, Leah! You looked like you just won the lottery!"

"It's called acting." I knew that there were more questions that will lead to my revelation, so I quickly thought of an excuse to go away.

"Woops. I have to go to the library, guys. I have to research on heartburn for my dad. Bye!" I knew they didn't buy it, but I ran, anyway. The library was at the end of the hallway, so I was counter flowing the crowd.

Our library was just the size of two classroom put together. It wasn't big, but it had an ample supply of significant books and it was so quiet. The first thing you'd see is the borrowing desk with the librarian behind it. At the back, there are several pink couches and beanbags with coffee tables near them, and far beyond that is the maze the book shelves formed. All the couches and beanbags were occupied, so I entered 'the maze', grabbed a battered book about cooking and sat on the farthest and darkest corner.

I was soon disturbed by some noise from the other end of the bookshelf that hid me. The book beside me was taken away, letting a thick string of light land on the cooking book's pages. This irked me because I liked being in the dark.

"Leah?" His deep voice asked. I looked at the gap that was covered by the book a while ago, and Sam's face was what I saw on the other side.

Before I was given time to react, he was suddenly in front of me.

"What are you doing here? You were just with the crowd a while ago."

"I'm good at escapades." He smiled crookedly. He sank and sat with me on the floor, and flipped through the pages of Hardy Boys. The way he was so absorbed into the book made him look so serious.

"I never thought I'd find a person like you in a library."

"Why do you say so?"

"You look like you're a café person."

"Don't judge a book by its cover." He laughed. I didn't know what was so funny, and then it sank in on me after a few seconds. We were in a library.

"Oh."

"Late reaction." He clucked his tongue. "I like it here. Everything's so quiet, I'm not someone famous here."

"I don't really like it here. I just come here from time to time."

"Really? I go here everyday. You're actually on my spot."

"Well, sorry." I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"What's so wrong with it?"

"It looks weird. I spotted you a while ago because of the colours."

"Then deal with the weirdness. Weirdness comes with the Leah Clearwater package."

"That's what I like about you." Did I just hear what he said? My stomach abruptly lurched so wildly, and my heart was palpitating.

"Sorry. That wasn't so smooth." His russet cheeks, although red with sunburn turned even redder with embarrassment.

"Nah, it's okay." The blood rushed up to my cheeks. Maybe I was just as red as he was.

"Shit. I suck." He banged his head so hard against the bookshelf. "You didn't hear anything, okay?"

"I did hear something." I smiled manically, like I was torturing him mentally.

"Never mind. I can't take it back anymore."

"Why me, of all people? There are so many pretty cheerleaders who like you, why not them?" I fished for the answer.

"Don't you think _you're_ pretty?"

"I'm not. Only my family thinks so."

"Well, you are. I think you're the prettiest girl in La Push."

"So you like me just because I'm pretty? That's superficial."

"You caught my attention because you're pretty. I was so intrigued about you, then the way you wouldn't come near me like everyone else really baffled me. You aren't normal. Then, I figured you were the kind of girl I wanted-- pretty, and someone who doesn't look only at the outside. You were unlike any other girl I met, and that made me like you, I was sure of it. And I hated that of all the girls that liked me, you weren't one of them, the one I wanted the most. It was like having a thousand spoons, when all I needed was one fork. The way you're so different attracts me, and the way you despised me served as a challenge. I like being challenged."

"So, you're telling me I've lost my touch?" I was flummoxed right after I realized what I just said. It was hard talking to Sam; he was so lucid that you don't watch what you're saying anymore. At that moment, I wished for a time machine to fall right out of the sky so that I could go back to five seconds ago.

"You like me?"

"I never said I did." I backed-up.

"It's pretty much the same." This time, he was the one smiling manically.

"I only like your breath. It smells like cinnamons, my favourite."

"Yeah, right." His face was in a smug. I have never seen him so happy before. In fact, he looked so much better that way.

"You're being unfair, Leah. I admitted. Now it's your turn."

"Fine, maybe I do. But it's not because you're so handsome and famous and all that crap."

"You're really pretty when you scowl. Just a random thought."

"Sure."

"Then why do you like me?" I hate it when I lose. I wasn't used to losing, but there's no turning back now.

"It was when you were carrying Seth yesterday. You looked like a good father. A handsome one. And then you treated all of us to McDonald's, just like a father would have. I have this weird taste for older guys who I think will make good dads. Weird, huh?"

"Wow. I didn't know I look old."

"It's not that. You just act so mature."

"Good dad." He rubbed his chin. "I remember what you're talking about. That was when we were crossing the street, right?"

"Yeah."

"I bet we looked like a family. I'm the dad, you're the mom and Collin Brady and Seth are our kids."

"Don't get all started, Uley. Just because I like you, doesn't mean we're gonna get married."

"I'd like that." He said with a grin.

"You're creeping me out." I lied. I sort of liked the idea too.

"Liar. I know you like the idea too." A shiver went down my spine. Did he just read my mind?

"So we like each other."

"So?" I snapped.

"We should go on a date."

"For someone handsome, you're not that smooth."

"I know." He smiled. I know it's a flaw, but the way he wasn't fluid about these things made me like him more. It was funny watching him.

"No, thank you. It's not me if I said yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm fourteen. I'm still a kid."

"Four_teen_." He stressed the word teen.

"It's just too early, okay?"

"There are a lot of people your age who are getting laid already."

"_So you're telling me to lose my virginity_?"

"No. I'm just telling you that dating at this time is normal. Stop playing hard to get."

"_I am not playing_!"

"Yes you are. So it's settled then. I'll pick you up at six tonight." I grunted. "You better ask my mom first." I suddenly burst into laughter as I saw the picture. My mother would dissect him.

"Sure. What's her number?" I took my phone from my pocket and showed him my mother's contact details. He took his phone and punched her numbers in, and he put it on loudspeaker.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Clearwater. This is Samuel Uley."

"Samuel! What a pleasant surprise! How can I help you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Could I take your daughter out tonight in Seattle? I promise I'll have her home before ten."

"Oh, you could have her all night!" My mother laughed.

"_Mom_!"

"Is that Leah?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Tell her I said hi. Oh, Samuel! I never thought a guy would ask someone as aggressive as she is out! You're a miracle!"

"Thank you, ma'am." He chuckled.

"Oh, I have to go now. Thank you so much, Samuel!" My mother's voice was so exuberant.

"You're welcome." Samuel folded his phone, and my eyes were widened in horror.

"Your mom said yes. I'll see you tonight."

"No! I-" It was too late. Sam stood up and walked away while whistling.


	6. Wife

**Wife**

P.E., the last subject of the day, was finally over, meaning that the whole school day was too. My whole body was covered in greasy sweat and I felt very hot. All of us rushed out of the gym door, like the gates out of hell were finally open and we were finally free to go after an eternity of damnation. Everyone was too excited to leave that all of us were in one clump, making our sticky skin press against each other's, and it felt gross. It was hard to breath, and the air smelled pungently of sweat and body odour.

I finally stepped out of the gym's door, and it was easy to breath again. For some strange reason, I suddenly had this urge to eat a banana split and gulp a whole tumbler of bubblegum slurpie, which were only sold in The Ice Cream Shack.

It only takes five minutes to walk from Quileute High to The Ice Cream Shack, but when you're exhausted, thirsty and famished, five minutes seem like five long years. I finally reached the place, and I gave all the energy that's left in me to push the heavy glass door open.

A gust of cold air from the air-conditioner blew right through me, cooling my body temperature several degrees down. It was only my second time to visit this igloo themed ice cream parlour, although it was the most popular place among teens in all of La Push and although my father owns it.

Thankfully, I fled from school early that all the furry white couches-- every two of them were set face to face with each other with a table that looked like a big ice cube in between them-- were vacant, except for the set at the extreme right side of the shop. My poor eyesight could only see vague figures perched on that seat, and it looked like the figures were three boys.

"Hey, Leah!" A really familiar voice shouted from that table. It was too familiar yet I still couldn't figure out who it was, and it annoyed me a lot.

"Sit with us!" To stop the metal torture, I walked to that table to figure it out myself. Each step closer to the table made the figures clearer. It was Embry, Quil sharing a couch, and Jacob seated on the other couch all by himself.

"What are you doing here? You're still supposed to be in school by now."

"We cut Social Studies because we forgot our homework, and it was worth a hundred points. If we're absent, we're excused." Quil answered for the other two.

"Cool. I did that before." I smiled as I remembered that day. I looked at them again, and I wondered why there was not a single bowl of ice cream on their table.

"You didn't order yet?"

"We're waiting for Embry's date to come, then we'll order." I stopped myself from laughing at what Quil said. I took a good look at Embry. He was too young and he still had baby fat on his cheeks, but the way he acts like he's old enough for a date made him look adorable.

"Do you mind if we leave you and Jacob alone for a while? We have to go to the bathroom." Embry asked. Jacob's eyes widened and Quil let a low laugh out of his mouth.

"Not at all." The two boys stood up and ran to the bathroom, and I settled beside Jacob who had the other couch all to himself.

I watched him warily. He didn't withdraw his eyes from the thick book with tiny words ever since I sat down. I tried reading a part of the page and I soon learned that he was reading "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

"I may sound like a nerd, but I like that story." I told him to break the silence. He tore his eyes from the book and looked at me sheepishly.

"Really? Me too."

"It's a little stupid, don't you think?"

"What's stupid?"

"The whole magic thing. I mean, if they really love each other, then magic shouldn't be able to thwart them and make them fall in love with someone else. I don't know. It's just stupid."

"I know, but I think it's kinda cool if there's something like that in real life. You know, you love someone and he likes you back, but when magic comes, he falls in love with the next person he sees or something like that then you get heart broken. It's dramatic. I like tragedies." He finally loosened up.

"Me too, but I don't want to be a victim of that kind of magic." I told him. My mind started to drift off, wondering and thinking about how life could be like if magic existed. What if Sam and I loved each other, then magic dust suddenly comes pouring down from the heavens then lands on him. He'll fall in love with another girl, say, maybe Emily, and he'll leave me all alone, hurt, broken. A picture of Sam and Emily dancing happily in the middle of a meadow entered my head, and I was just behind staring at them forlornly.

"Hello?" Jacob's voice called me back to the real world, a world where magic didn't exist. I took a deep breath. _Don't worry. It won't happen. There's no such thing as magic._

"Sorry, I just remembered something."

"Why? Did you ever get your heart broken?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but he interrupted.

"I'm sorry if the question's too personal. You don't have to answer." He told me with shiny, apologetic black eyes.

"It's okay. I never got my heart broken, really. I was just wondering if I did."

"So you're in love?"

"Maybe almost. I hope not." I waited for his next question, but there was not a sound from him for a while. He continued to silently read the book, but his face had a trace of sadness. I wondered why, and then remorsed washed over me as I suddenly remembered that he had feelings for me.

"O, Jacob! I'm sorry!" I threw my arms around his neck, forgetting the fact that we barely knew each other. I swayed his body from left to right as my eyes were shut with guilt.

"No, it's okay. I knew that it wasn't a good idea to hope. I just had to learn the lesson the hard way."

"If you were my age, I'd surely like you, I swear."

"Unfortunately, I'm two years younger." He said in a hurt, sarcastic tone.

"I like you, Jacob. I really do, but as a friend, _as a little brother_. We could still be friends, you know." I sounded pathetic. I was talking to him like we had something in the past.

"Of course." He croaked. I unwrapped my arms and got a firm hold of his shoulders. I looked intently at his face. He was so young, and maybe I had an ounce of romantic feelings for him, but it was too microscopic. Maybe if he really was older, I'd have liked him. I was sure he would look very good, maybe more handsome than Sam. Whoever would get to look at Jacob's face for the rest of her life was very lucky.

"Cheer-up, Jake!" I grabbed his chin and tilted it up. I realized that I'd rather call him Jake for the rest of my life. "There's someone for you out there. Maybe it isn't me, but I'm sure she's going to be way better. And I tell you, she's damn lucky, whoever she is."

"Thanks, sister." He beamed. Maybe this was the beginning of a brother-sister relationship.

The Ice Cream Shack door swung open, and a large group of customers barged in, filling the formerly quiet place with their noise.

"Thanks for letting me sit here, by the way. I could have ran out of seats."

"Anything for my sister." He laughed. There was suddenly a loud, wailing sound that stood out from all the noise, and it was slowly getting louder and louder.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob looked over his shoulder.

"Some crying chick."

I twisted my head and saw a girl with puffy orange hair that was covering her face, and there was a brown haired girl that looked like a fox patting her back. They took the couch that was directly behind ours.

"I don't understand, Haley! _I just don't_!" Jacob and I eavesdropped.

"No offence, Kate, but you're over reacting. I like him too, but see? I'm not crying."

"Because you don't love him! I do! And it hurts!"

"He doesn't even know you." The other girl said bluntly.

"I know, and that's why it hurts! I think about him all fucking day and he doesn't even know me! He's the reason why I want to live. He's just so perfect! When I see his face, my hands get all sweaty and I want to cry because he'll never be mine!"

Jacob held a laugh back. "Gee, that's pathetic. A girl crying over a guy who doesn't know her. I think she needs to see the shrinker." He muttered under his breath.

"I'd kill anyone, Haley. I'd do anything to make Sam Uley _mine_." The crying girl said in a quivering voice. Call me selfish or what, but instead of feeling unworthy, I felt like the queen of the world. Who knows how many girls turn crazy because of how he was impossibly perfect? At least I was the one he liked. Suddenly, I valued him much more. I remembered how he looked like again. It was a face that was the incarnation of Adonis, and it was mine. My heart throbbed rapidly as my head reeled.

"That lucky bastard." Jacob said in a rather happy tone. "I'd also do anything to be him. Actually, I look up to him more than anyone else. I wanted to befriend him at that party your dad threw but I was intimidated."

"You wasted your chance. He's really kind, you know. Kinder than how you expect him to be."

"You know him personally?"

"Yeah." I thought of telling Jake what was going on between us or not, but there was just something about him that made me feel like he could be trusted.

"We actually have a date later."

"_Really?_ You better tell me what happened."

"Sure I will." I ruffled his hair.

"Wait, I don't want to be your brother anymore. I want to be your kid, and he's gonna be my father."

"Cool. I'm sure he's gonna be proud that he's your son."

"Maybe. Aren't you hungry yet, mom? The line's thickening."

"Okay, I'll order. What do you want, son?"

"A sundae."

"Wait here. Don't talk to strangers." I told him in a funny, motherly tone and I proceeded to the back of the line. I was shocked at how the line moved so fast, and it was already my turn.

"Leah! You're back!" Kim greeted me. The sky-blue and white stripes from her apron looked good on her oriental skin. She was also two years younger than I was, and she was really nice. Her Chinese face was radiant with happiness.

"Hi, Kim!"

She cleared her throat. "Welcome to The Ice Cream Shack! I'm Kim. What would you like to order?" She asked me in a professional tone, stripping of the fact that we knew each other.

"Just one banana split, a bubblegum slurpie and a sundae." She bent down to get a slurpie tumbler.

"Name, please?" She asked as soon as she stood up again. Without thinking, I told her, "Mrs. Sam Uley."

"Okay, Mrs. Sam Uley. Please claim your order at the claiming counter once your name is called. Thank you and please come again!" She giggled as soon as she cut out the whole professional handling thing.

"See ya 'round, Kim." I told her blithely and went back to my seat. Quil and Embry were back, and from how their mouths moved, I bet they were ambushing Jake with questions.

"So, you call him _Jake_ now?" Embry asked me with a stupid looking smug on his face.

"Yeah, anything wrong with that?" I playfully raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nope." He shook his head and turned to Jake. "So, _Jake_, are you done reading that?"

"Almost."

"So, _Jake_, how are going to move on now?" Jake slammed his book shut and hit it against Quil's back. I was glad he wasn't shy anymore. I liked the real Jake.

"Hey, stop it, boys!"

"Banana split, bubblegum slurpie and a sundae for Mrs. Sam Uley. Banana split, bubblegum slurpie and a sundae for Mrs. Sam Uley." The choppy speakers announced my order, losing a little volume when the word 'Mrs.' was said.

"_Sam Uley's here_?" Jake gasped.

"No, it's just me. Didn't you hear the word 'Mrs.'?"

"No."

"I didn't either." Quil said, looking around for Sam.

"I did. Sit down, Quil. It's just Leah." Embry tugged Quil's shirt down. I stood up, and everyone else were in their seats, either laughing or giving me glares as they realized that I was the self-proclaimed Mrs. Sam Uley. Nothing could be more embarrassing than this. I bent my head down, letting my hair fall in front of my face to hide it, and made my way to the counter with a heavy heart.

"Are you Mrs. Sam Uley?" A voice asked.

"Yeah." My cheeks burned with humiliation.

"I think the name Leah is so far from the name Sam." The way the voice mentioned my name was so familiar that I stopped looking at the floor and swept my hair away to see who it was.

At the second that my eyes rested on his face, the entire world collapsed at my feet. I wanted to scream, run away, kill myself. It was more embarrassing than being looked at by the other customers.

Parts of his lips were curved up in a crooked, cocky smile, and his taunting eyes were burning into mine.

"Banana split, bubblegum slurpie and a sundae for my wife."


	7. Waiting

**Waiting**

"Damn this shit! _Crap_!" My whole body was full of angst, full of shame that I was trembling, about to burst. I couldn't take it anymore, so I collapsed on the sand, kicking and punching the air wildly—too wildly that I could feel the banana split and bubblegum slurpie that I gulped down in a hurry to escape the damned ice cream parlour swirling around somewhere in my stomach, but that didn't matter now. I knew that Jake was just behind me, maybe holding back a roar of laughter or thinking of running for his life because I was acting like a person with deadly mental problems, but that didn't matter either. All that mattered now was that Sam knew that I just called myself 'Mrs. Sam Uley', and I could never have enough guts to show my face to him ever again. I continued screaming, kicking, punching and swimming on the sand that I could feel the nerves on my neck pop out of my skin. Suddenly, the sand went in my eyes, stopping me from opening either of them. I stopped throwing my pathetic tantrum for a while, and attempted to open them by rubbing furiously. Trying was so painful that my eyes welled up with tears.

"Leah, are you okay?" Although I couldn't see, the sound of Jake's sandals brushing against the sand told me that he rushed to my side.

"Don't rub them."

"It won't effing get out!"

"I said don't." He demanded sagely. Why would I listen to a little boy? I continued, but he got a strong hold of my hands, so strong that it hurt.

"Hey!" I twisted and turned to release my hands, but for a twelve year old, he was damn strong. I gave my act up.

I could feel his thumb press against my left eyelids. He forced them open, and it irritated my eyes more. Before I could even say something, he leaned closer and blew air into my eye. He did the same to the other eye. Much better.

"Gee, thanks." I said as I blinked my them open.

"Just because you're my mom, doesn't mean you know better." He replied and stuck his tongue out at me. He was so cute that I wanted to plant little kisses on his cheek, pinch them with all my might and suffocate him in a very tight hug, but that would creep him out, I'm sure.

I helped myself up, and we continued walking to my house although I wanted to have one more tantrum. I really wanted to, but the sand that blinded me for a while brought me back to my senses and told me that I should be ashamed. I thought of something to ask Jake to preoccupy myself.

"You sure you wanna hang with me in my house?"

"Quil has to go to Forks later and as we all know, Embry has a date. I have nothing else to do."

"Whatever you say."

I wasn't the type of person who liked talking so much, and I was glad Jake was that type too. The sun was setting, painting the whole of La Push wild shades of pink and yellow. The water was sparkling like sapphires, and even if I see such a scene every day, I never get tired of just staying silent and marvelling it. We were both silent, but there wasn't awkwardness at all, just serenity. I felt like he was a long lost friend. Unlike acquaintances, you always had to talk to each other, doing your best to avoid silence; but when you're with a friend, being silent was absolutely normal.

We were so in love with the sight of the setting sun that seeing my house so soon overwhelmed us.

"Wow, we're here." He said with a little laughter in his voice.

"Time flies so fast." I told him breathlessly.

"I know. Maybe three years from now, I'd be looking back at this day, as if it was just yesterday."

"I wonder how we'll be by then." My feet were manually climbing the porch.

"Maybe you and Sam are in the same college, then you're planning on getting married."

"Maybe you're in love with a girl who loves you back."

"Will you still know me by then?"

"Surely. Will you?"

"Hell yeah. What kind of a son am I if I forget my own mother?" I was content with his answer. He raised his pinky and I took it with mine, doing the childish yet somehow solemn pinky swear. We both suddenly burst into laughter. We were so...normal a while ago. How the heck did our conversation turn into something depressing? Maybe it was the drama of the sunset.

I twisted the knob and flung the door open. Seth was lying on his stomach, watching a show that I was sure he'd only watch if it was the last one on earth.

"Why the hell are you watching the home shopping network?"

"The computer doesn't want to start!" He complained in his small voice. Jake stepped in, and Seth's eyes sparkled for some weird reason. Was he gay?

"Your computer won't work?" Seth nodded his head, his face clearly dazed.

"Where is it?" In a snap, Seth was on his feet, running up to his room with Jake following him and me following Jake.

"Here." Seth pointed at his dinosaur sticker-coated computer. Jake booted it on, and it hanged while it was loading. He tried punching some key combinations from the keyboard, but nothing happened

"If your computer gets busted, will I have to pay you?"

"Teach me Poker Mania cheats and you won't have to." So that's why Seth was thrilled to see Jake, because Jake was good at that game, and Seth wasn't. Good thing he wasn't gay.

"Sure." Jake grinned. He stepped back from the computer, and then flung a painful looking kick at the CPU. The computer screen was suddenly Seth's dinosaur themed desktop.

"Thanks!" He nearly screamed, and wrapped his skinny arms around Jake's torso. They looked like brothers.

I glanced at Seth's wall clock. It was twenty minutes past five, meaning I only had less than an hour before it was six. I was skeptical. Will I still go, after all that Sam's heard? A big chunk of myself was scolding me not to, while a teeny-tiny part whispered that I should. As much as I hated to admit it, I was sure that the bigger part was my brain, and the smaller part was my heart. After pacing around Seth's room, with the two boys staring at me as I did, I finally decided not to.

"What's wrong, ma?"

"Why did you call Leah ma?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later."

"I'm not going to the...date." I mouthed the word 'date' so Seth wouldn't hear it.

'_What_?! Leah, do you remember that crazy girl crying her eyes out because she likes dad? She'd do anything to be you. Don't just throw this away!"

"I know, but...you know. I looked so pathetic a while ago."

"So what? I think it's cute."

"You're not Sam. Besides, I want to _not_ go. I'm not forcing myself not to; I just really don't want to go." I half lied.

"Are you sure?" He raised an eyebrow at me. My eyes suddenly switched to Seth. His head was cocked in confusion. Obviously, he didn't understand a thing we were saying.

"I'm sure." I turned back to Jake.

"Okay, I'm happy if you are, mom."

Out of nowhere, there was a loud slamming sound from downstairs, and it forced a shriek out of my mouth. Then, the sound of shoes furiously clomping up the stairs was heard. Who could it be? Maybe a burglar. I was sure Jake saw our terror-stricken faces. He grabbed one of Seth's metal baseball bats and positioned himself near the door.

"Leah!" My mother burst into the room, making us sigh with relief.

"Jacob, darling!" She ran perkily to Jake, kissing him on both cheeks.

"Auntie Sue!" He returned them. "I was just hanging out with Seth and Leah."

"You're friends now?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Mom, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the office until seven!" I cut their talk short.

"Well, I was too excited for your first date, so I left early. Ohmigosh! I have something for you!" She sang and skipped out of the room. I looked at Jake with apologetic eyes, hoping that he knew I was saying sorry for my mother's weird attitude.

"Can you believe it? This was on sale!" She held a crisp, sleeveless brown dress in front of my face. My eyes widened when I read the tag. _Chanel_

"Try it on!" She threw the dress for me to catch, and shooed the boys away with her manicured fingers.

"Go on." She urged as she locked the door.

"Ma, I'm not going to the date."

"_What_?!" She screamed her head off.

"I don't want to anymore."

"What are you? Some goddess to turn down _Sam Uley_?" She said his name with reverence. What she told me was rubbing itself against my brain. I wasn't some goddess to turn him down. I knew I wasn't dashing, but he was. Why me? Maybe I was just a fling. Maybe he's just bored. All the more reason I had to not go on.

"I know he's all that, mom. I just don't want to anymore. I have reasons."

"Reasons, shmeasons. _I don't care_! You will go on a date with Sam or I won't give you your allowance for half a month!"

"Sure. Dad will."

"Oh, yeah? Well, then. I'll get that T.V. of yours and lock it in my room!" Oh, no. That was the only thing I wouldn't give up in my whole life because T.V. _is_ my life. I tried to imagine going home, just waiting on the sofa for dinner then killing time until I feel sleepy. No way was I going to live like that. T.V. is my saviour; it's frankly what motivates me to live. I know I'm such a loser.

"Fine!" I grunted and shook my clothes off, thrusting the wretched dress onto my frame. I took a look at Seth's hazy full length mirror. My cleavage was seen.

"Sorry, mom. Maybe another dress. This one reveals too much skin."

"That's the point! He'll never take his eyes off of you!" My eyes became big balls, and my jaw dropped. I suddenly wanted to answer back rudely. What kind of a mother was she? I never knew a mother who would like to sell her child to some man like she's a prostitute, until now.

"What the hell, mom? Do you want me to get pregnant or something?"

"No! I just want you and Sam to be an item. Then he'll ask you to marry him, then I'll have good looking grandchildren!"

"_Eww_!"

"You borrow these shoes." She handed me her most prized possession—her sleek brown stilettos that costs half of the house. "Don't break it." She said sternly.

"I might trip in those!" I protested as she guided my feet into them.

"So? At least you'll look better and taller! Now go to your room and freshen up." I sighed and tripped my way to my room. Thankfully, it was three little steps away from Seth's room; and thankfully, Jake and Seth were downstairs playing Poker Mania.

I threw myself on the couch, which was in front of the mirror. I dragged the couch closer to it and scrutinized myself. Honestly, there was nothing so special about me. I tried to describe my eyes, but I couldn't. They were just...eyes. My nose was simply just a nose, my lips were simply just lips. Everything was so nondescript, so unexplainably plain and boring. I suddenly closed my eyes and remembered Sam's face. There are so many good words in the dictionary to describe him that you'll never run out of them-- supermodel hair, soul- piercing black eyes, a sharp nose, prominent cheek bones with a hint of pink because of the sun, full lips with perfect teeth beneath them and a tensed jaw to finish it off. He wasn't too white nor too black, his skin was just right. He was muscular, but not scary; tall, but an ideal boyfriend kind of tall, and so much more. And I was...me. Boring old me. Instead of feeling happy that the divine and powerful angel chose the vulnerable, ugly human, I felt unworthy, depressed and down. What a way to start a first date.

"Are you done, Leah? What's taking you so long?" My mother's voice forced me up. I assessed my full body now. No way was I going to wear that cleavage revealing dress. I grabbed one of my plain white shirts and thought of wearing it under the dress when my mom's not looking. My focus was now on the stilettos from hell. No way was I going to wear those too, so I fished through my shoe rack and grabbed my brown Chuck Taylors. I stuffed the shirt and the sneakers in my duffel bag, and then tamed my unruly hair by combing it and tied it to a high pony tail. Although what I would be wearing was something that wasn't my taste, I was sure I'd be fine, but not fine enough to be placed beside a god like Sam Uley.

I clutched my duffel bag and rushed down the stairs. Time flies so fast—the grandfather clock that was set in the living room told me that it was five minutes before six. Jake and Seth took their eyes of the T.V. and took a good look at me. I covered my cleavage with the bag.

"You look great, mom." Jake said with satisfaction.

"Thanks, I guess?" My mom's icy fingers popped out of nowhere and landed on my bare shoulders. "Stay on the porch and wait there. We won't invade your privacy." She whispered huskily from behind. I stood up and sat headed for the porch. The windows behind me were shut, the curtains were untied to obscure the view from the living room and the door was closed.

"_Boys_!" My mother's demand was faint. They were probably peeking through the curtains.

The time was right. I ran behind our house and took my dress off, placed the shirt and wore it again. With much eagerness, I stripped the stilettos off and threw them like trash in the duffel bag, and wore my sneakers with an agitation of hands. Just in time, I heard the honking of a horn. I felt happy that I was done re-dressing myself, but sad about having to go on the stupid date. I sighed, rolled my eyes and dragged myself to the front of my house. There was a foreign black sports car purring in front of the porch. It was so sleek and glossy, and it looked like it could run damn fast. The driver's door opened, and Sam Uley, with all his godliness stepped out. The longer I took a look at him, the more I felt ugly.

"Hi." He greeted me in his deep, alluring voice. His hair was formally gelled today, although the style wasn't old fashioned at all. He was wearing an expensive-looking, long-sleeved white polo, with the first three buttons above unbuttoned. It emphasized his rich, russet skin, his broad neck and his lumpy Adam's apple. There was a red and yellow necktie hanging loosely beneath his collar, and it looked like it was made of the finest silk. His chest and biceps looked like they were going to burst free any second.

I looked at myself again. Gross. I looked like a blind girl who just came from a mall, letting a mischievous salesperson dress her up randomly to make fun of her blindness. It was either the blind-girl-from-a-mall look or the cleavage emphasizing look. I'd gladly go for the blind girl look any day.

"You look great." He said as his eyes joyously scanned my whole self. Acting again, I see.

"Thanks for making me feel better."

"Seriously, you look great." He said with not a trace of a lie in his voice. Maybe I wasn't blind after all, it was Sam who was.

"Sure, sure. Let's cut the crap out and get this over with." I reached for the backseat door, but his hands led mine to the passenger's seat door that was now open.

"I would look like a cab driver if you stayed at the back." Reluctantly, I slid inside the majestic car, sat on the black seat and braced myself for my greatest fear—sitting beside an ethereally handsome being. Fortunately, the scent of the car distracted me from my insecurity issues. The car smelled nice, like Axe with a hint of lemons. I'm sure many people would get dizzy and find it strong and pungent, but I liked it.

Sam slithered onto his seat, slammed the door and drove away. The car accelerated so fast that my body slammed against the seat, especially my head. Even if I was inside for only a few seconds, I felt so nauseated. I was on the verge of barfing.

"Are you alright?" He took his eyes off the road.

"Are you crazy?! Keep your eyes on the road, man. Your fancy car might hit a tree!"

"You look like you wanna purge."

"Kinda. Slow the car down a bit. You're too fast." I told him with my hands cupping my mouth. The car crept slower now, and I felt better.

I looked at him to say thanks, but the moment my eyes lay on his face, the more I felt unworthy again. I was sceptical. Will I jump off the car or stay? Although the car was slower now, it was still fast. If I jumped off, I'd probably roll around like crazy and die. It was a dead end, so I gazed out of the window and watched whatever there was outside, whether trees, rocks, houses or the beach...whatever, as long as I don't have to watch his face.

From the brown of the murky La Push, the scene suddenly changed into the green of the frigid Forks. Other than the purr of the car, there was silence, but not the kind of silence I shared with Jake. It was awkward. I bet he was starting to notice the fact that I know that I'm just some sort of one-night-stand in a less lusty concept.

He cleared his throat, and I closed my eyes before he could even start talking about what happened in The Ice Cream Shack.

"Why are you so...silent?"

"Because I am."

"Really, why?"

"I'm just freaked out. It's too early."

"Too early?" He asked, and then burst into thunderous laughter that I was scared out of my witts. "Really, now?" He laughed more, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and he stopped laughing after a few seconds. Why the heck was he laughing? Nothing was funny. Was he a psychopath? I shiver ran down my spine.

"I bet you're freaking out. There's a black notebook in that compartment." He pointed at the compartment by my knees. Gosh, does everything he owns have to be black? I opened the compartment and got the black notebook. The first page was probably a poem, but the handwriting was too childish that I couldn't understand it. The succeeding pages were more understandable, longer and had deeper words, but I didn't want to read inside a moving car. The only thing similar about them was that they were all love poems. I ran my fingers through the other pages but it all fell together with the ones I've already seen, and I was left with some page with a rock taped to it.

"What's this?"

"Our rock of forever."

"Rock of forever?" I echoed bewilderedly.

"I was expecting you to forget, anyway." He didn't make any sense at all. "You were alone in First Beach back when you were four. Paul Bigby was hungry, and he saw you with a bag of chips. He asked you for it, but you wouldn't give it because you were hungry, so he threw a sharp rock at your eye." It started to make a little sense already. There was a small scar at the corner of my right eye, and it was because of that little childhood mishap.

"I think I remember."

"You were crying, and I was watching you. I punched Paul back and he promised not to hurt you again. I checked if you were alright, and you thanked me endlessly. You asked me what you could do in return and I asked for a date. You told me that we will have one ten years from now, and you gave me that rock of forever as a promise." At that moment, I was brought back to ten years ago. It was so clear, so lurid that the clarity of it all freaked me out. I looked at Sam and studied him. I couldn't believe that he was that pathetic kid who was so skinny and white that he looked like a walking skeleton, the kid I told to wait for ten more years because I thought of him as a loser. I couldn't believe that Sam Uley, the famous commercial model who makes girls cry is the same kid who saved me, although he wasn't really as dashing as a knight in shining armour back then. He was the antithesis of one.

"It's been exactly ten years, Leah." He told me with eyes still fixed on the road, though it looked like he was looking at the distant past.

"I've been very patient. I spent ten years remembering you and writing poems. I thought I'd never find you again, but thank God I did." I knew that I should be scared, really scared that he was acting like a stalker, but the way he looks now made me happy instead of scared. There was actually somebody out there who waited for me for ten years, and it was Sam.

"You should have forgotten about me too. I mean, it was just one insignificant day in your life." I told him. He sighed, and his eyebrows were pulled together. The concentration in his face was unbearably sexy.

"I can't explain it, but I'll try. You remember those werewolf stories from or folks?"

"Yeah?"

"It was like you're my imprint. The moment I saw you, something just attracted me, and it was hard to repel. After that, my whole world revolved around you. I don't know why, it just did. Weird, huh?"

"I'm sorry...if I told you to wait. I never thought you'd take it seriously."

"It's a long Calvary, but now it washed the wait away. It was worth it." He said blankly, back at concentrating on his driving.

I didn't know what was happening to me. I used to hate love. Whenever my parents watch a corny love movie, I'd scream my head off all night. Now, I understood it all—why they were nervous, why they

wanted to be with each other, why they wanted to touch all the time, because that's how I felt right now. I was nervous, my stomach was whirling around and around...in a good way. The way Sam said everything was like he was just telling a story, but knowing that it came from an angel's mouth, it was the sweetest words I have ever heard. And I wanted to touch him, to say sorry for letting someone so great wait for someone so...normal, and to let him know that I had something for him. Was it love? I wasn't scared anymore. Being in love felt nice, like I was in heaven. Maybe it wasn't nice if the girl made the first move, but it was worth swallowing pride—letting him know that I liked him too.

I took my hands away from my lap, and discreetly laid it on top of his free hand. He sighed a long sigh, and moved his hand so that it could hold mine back, the gaps of my fingers were filled by his. Our hands were warm when they were clasped together. I've touched a lot of hands before, but the sensation of his flesh beneath mine was different. It was sending electrical pulses around my body. The way I was so happy, so happy that I thought holding his hand was my only purpose in life, it made me sure that I was in love. He caressed my hand with his thumb as his mouth was curled into the most blissful smile I have ever seen.

The car slowly crept to a stop, and we were in the middle of a street somewhere in Forks that had nothing but trees. Before I could even ask him why we stopped, he left the car and in an instant, we opened the door for me. He pulled me out with so much force that it felt like my head might be ripped off. I took in a breath of air to give him a good scolding; but in an instant, I was tightly squeezed in his arms. The grip was strong that nothing could break it, and tight that there was not one millimetre in between us.

My stomach was lurching wildly, my heart beat was so fast and my head was reeling. Before I could even faint, I clung myself to him with all my strength and buried my head into his big chest, inhaling his intoxicating smell and feeling the abnormally fast pacing of his heart beat. I could feel his nose furiously smelling the scent of my hair, his head pressed hard against mine. I could feel every single muscle on his body. He was so big that I felt like a little baby being cradled in an adult's arms. I tried holding him closer, and he tried too. We were too close, but too close wasn't close enough.


	8. Euphoria

**Euphoria**

"I'm gonna rip your tits of you son of a-"

"_Sam_!" I pulled him away from the waiter who he wanted to punch so badly

"We can't let you dine here, sir. She's too informal. We have a dress code." The mouse-like waiter squeaked nervously.

"_Is this some kind of a scam? I handed a down payment for a reservation, then your fucked up restaurant doesn't even have the decency to return it when you decide a customer's too informal to enter_?" He growled. His whole face was hostile, was dark red with anger. The way his hate-filled eyes glared piercingly at the waiter made me cringe. He was looking at the waiter like he didn't have a right to live.

A bald, black man who was obviously a bouncer stood behind Sam. He was meaty and big, but not big enough to tower Sam's six foot something inches height. Still, he had more muscles, and that was our cue to run away.

"Sam, let's go." I grabbed his hard arm and pulled, but he didn't move an inch.

"What the fuck's happening here?" The bouncer's question boomed throughout the high-end restaurant, causing more head's to turn at our direction. More than half of the restaurant was warily watching the brewing brawl a few moments ago. Now, it was the whole restaurant.

"That girl's not dressed properly, and this guy's asking for a reservation fee refund." The waiter's voice broke.

"We don't give refunds, sir." The bouncer tried to keep his cool, although annoyance was all over his face.

"Then you should have told me that before I even stepped in this crappy place." Sam hit the bouncer hard on the shoulders, nearly knocking him out of balance. The bouncer's fat cheeks rumbled furiously. He grabbed Sam's collar and attempted to drag him out of the French doors. Before he could even move him, Sam flicked his arms off his polo, and hit him hard on the nose in one sharp blow.

"_Sam! Stop it_!" The bouncer wiped the blood off his nose, balled his large hands into fists and punched Sam hard on the eye. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I saw Sam lying on the floor, rolling and groaning in pain. He received more punches—by the stomach, the mouth and one more in the eye, making more tears fall down rapidly. I could see the pain in his eyes, in his face. It was so clear that I could feel it too. What does a sixteen-year-old boy have against a professionally trained boxer?

"_Sam, please stop this_!" He gave out one loud moan, then out of nowhere, stood up and punched the bouncer hard on his groin. He fell on the floor, on the verge of crying. Sam raised a fist, ready to give one more gut busting blow.

"I'm calling the cops." The mouse-like waiter quivered. I turned around to stop him, but he disappeared into the thick column of customers watching the fight.

"_Please_!" I buried my nails into his shoulders. He pushed me gently without looking, and suddenly another waiter that was walking in full speed with a tray of plates hit me as I tried to keep balance from the push.

I landed on top of the waiter. At one second, I saw a porcelain plate crash down on the floor and break, only a few millimetres away from my feet. Not even a second after that, more plates crashed down, this time, on my head. One was quickly followed after the other, giving me no time to squeal in pain. Each shard dug deep into my scalp, spreading a wave of excruciating pain throughout my head. I don't know how many fell. Maybe twenty? The last one was the worst. It forced the shards deeper into my skull, making me cringe at the sting it brought.

"Leah? _Leah_!" Sam left his fight and squatted beside me. I looked at the nearest wall, which was actually an enormous mirror. Fat drops of crimson red blood would ooze down my hairline, run across my face and drip continuously from the edges of my hair strands and on my dress. My whole forehead was full of blood.

If there was one thing I hated more than anything else, it would probably be blood. I'd swoon at the sight of it. When a hospital asked me for a blood sample, I nearly fell unconscious when I saw how much they took. When I was twelve, my dad sponsored a blood donating event, and I felt weak as I squeezed the rubber ball to let my blood out. I felt like melting, and soon, I fainted. The image the mirror reflected was the worst. I've never seen so much blood before. My head started reeling wildly, and I felt so soft. The violent shaking of my hands and lips told me I was going to faint any moment. Soon enough, darkness ate my view.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself gazing at the familiar glow-in-the dark creatures that I stuck on my room's ceiling back in the third grade. I was sure that I was home, on my bed, and not in that fucked up restaurant to see Sam get battered anymore. The stars, the sun, the moon, the planets, the spaceships and the aliens were glowing green against the black night.

I curled on my side, and I felt some sort of fabric wrapped around my head as I did. I suddenly remembered what happened to me. The plates, the shards, the fainting- it all made me want to faint all over again.

"So much for a first date, huh?" The startling voice made me gasp. I curled to my other side where the voice came from, although I was pretty sure of who it was who was there.

The luminous moonlight that filtered through my curtains was kissing Sam's face, as if he was its god. His used-to-be neat hair was now shagged but he was still unbearably handsome; his white long-sleeve polo was replaced by my dad's black "Best Dad Ever" sweatshirt, and the sight of him pressing an ice bag against his eye sent a surge of sadness throughout my body.

"How are you feeling? What time is it?" I asked weakly as I forced myself to sit-up straight.

"It's 1 AM. Shouldn't I be asking that question? Well, I'm fine. I told Uncle George about that restaurant, and he's on his way to suing it." Uncle George was Collin's dad and the only lawyer in La Push, making his family maybe the richest one right here. He has lots of clients from all over Washington, but he chose the simple life. Uncle George suing a restaurant wasn't impossible, but the restaurant from a while ago was a different story. It was probably the fanciest and most expensive restaurant any person could eat in, and it was going to close soon. I sneered at the thought.

"Are you sure you're fine?" I was surprised that amidst my weakness, I managed to get out of the bed and sit beside Sam on my couch. I gently took his hands away from his eye, and seeing the big, purple bruise beneath it made me cry.

"Hey, hey. Why are you crying?" He asked me tenderly, brushing the tears away with his thumb.

"You're hurt. You know, _this is all your fault_! You should have let them keep the reservation fee! It's not the only restaurant on earth, you dope!"

"If only you knew. Their reservation fee costs a hundred twenty dollars. Yeah, I know it's my fault. It's my fault that you were bleeding endlessly too."

"You dead serious?" I gasped. Who cares if I bled a gallon of blood? The important thing was how much he paid. A hundred and twenty dollars were usually worth the meal itself, and so much more.

"Yeah."

"Why'd you do it? There are other cheaper places out there!" He looked me in the eyes, but he had to look away soon because he was coughing. Droplets of blood would spew out of his mouth as he did, and I was tortured. "Only the finest for you." He managed to say in between the coughs. My heart started to beat much faster. "And it's nothing, really."

"Of course it's nothing, Mr. famous commercial model." I wiped the blood with the white night gown that I realized I was wearing just now. He smirked at the comment, and the way he did was irresistible. I threw my arms around him and hugged him as lightly as I could.

"_Ow_." He moaned. Hearing it automatically sent me jumping off the couch.

"Oops, I'm sorry! Do you have a bruise there too? I'm really sorry!"

"It's okay. Don't stop." He said weakly as he pulled me back beside him.

I looked at his face intently. Other than the bruise under his eye, there was dry blood on his lips. I got the ice bag from his hand and placed it on his eye myself.

"What happened to your lips?" I asked as I traced the line of dried blood with my fingers.

"They popped when that fat ass punched me. It hurt like hell a while ago." He gritted his teeth. "Could you make it feel better?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his eyes, making my heart race even faster.

"I'll try." I laughed nervously. This was it, my first kiss. I tilted my head to one side, closed my eyes and leaned closer. What if Seth or my mom or my dad would barge in? I shuddered at the thought and pulled myself away.

"What's wrong?"

"They might see us."

"None of them wiil." He fished through his back pocket and showed me a neon orange Post It.

_Leah,_

_I'm on a girls' night out with your Aunt Tracy. Seth's sleeping over at Brady's and daddy's still on that business trip 'till tomorrow night. Have fun. Lots and lots of fun. ;)_

_ -Mummzy,_

I grunted as I finished reading the note. No wonder she had me at eighteen. If no one was here but Sam, who dressed me up and took care of my wound?

"How did I get into these clothes and how did I stop bleeding?"

"I dressed you up. Don't worry, I swear my eyes were closed. And I tended your wound. I found a first aid kit in your kitchen."

"Wow, you did a pretty good job. I can't believe I stopped bleeding."

"Your mom's...pretty cool with this." He said as he glanced at the note.

"Mm'hmm, though I don't know with my dad."

"I think Uncle Harry can handle it. My mom likes you a lot." At the mention of his mom, my Aunt Tracy, I wondered about his dad. He never mentioned him at all, and so did Aunt Tracy.

"You never talk about your dad."

"Jonathan?"

"Yeah. It's rude calling a parent by his first name, you know."

"He's not really a parent. He's always in Las Vegas, gambling and cheating, that's why mom left him and found another guy. I chose to stay with him, but I hear banging sounds from his room every night. He's probably nailing some hoe. I moved to my mom's, but I had to share a bed with my step sister. One night, I caught her undressing me, so I stayed with Jonathan."

"If you stay with him, then you should call him dad."

"Yeah, but he's barely home, maybe he's home only once a month. I practically own his place. My mother visits me sometimes to keep me company, but I sleep there alone. You know, I could really use someone to be with." His face was in a smug.

"I'll keep you company all night, if you want." I laughed hard.

"Your room's hot." He cut my laughter short.

"Want me to turn the air conditioner on for you?"

"No. I know a more environment-friendly way." I felt his hands slither under mine, sending goose bumps of all sorts around my body. He grasped it, stood up, and led me down the stairs and out of the house. And to think I had no slippers on.

We made our way down the shore, reaching the end of the array of dimly lit houses. He was leading me past trees, into the extreme edge of the beach that maybe no one has ever set foot on.

"Where are we going?"

"Away." He answered vaguely. We stopped running by the time we reached the dead end of the shore—a foot of a cliff. Sam suddenly scooped me into his arms, climbed on top of a column of big rocks that lay from the shore further into the beach itself. Ever so lightly, he placed me on top of one of them with my feet in the cold water.

If the beach was beautiful at sunset, it was a hundred times better at night. The dark sky was full of stars tonight, making the water glisten amazingly. It was a low-tide, the waves weren't too harsh. I closed my eyes, making the salty sea breeze blow through me. Nothing else was audible but the crashing sound of the waves pounding against the shore.

"I've never seen this part of the beach before. It's so serene." I told him breathlessly.

"Never?"

"Never."

"I think you did already." I opened my eyes, and shot him my 'huh?' look.

"This is where Paul threw a rock at you, where I saved you and where you promised me a date. You're sitting on the exact, same spot...like ten years ago, and I sat here." He sank down the rock beside mine, looking at the stars dreamily.

"I sat here the next day, and the next, and the next. I made sure I sat here every day, the same hour I met you, just in case I'd see your face again. I knew I was pretty hopeless, but I was thinking that maybe, you'd be back. I sat here under the scorching sun and the violent storm."

"Look, I'm really sorry, but really, you shouldn't have. I never thought that a six-year-old boy could be that serious. You know, I wish I could turn back the time so I could have stayed with you the whole time you were here." The words that came pouring out of my mouth astounded me. I was saying too much.

"Really? You will? Even if it's damn hot or if your butt's freezing?"

"Yeah. As long as I'm with you." This time, I watched what I said, and I did want him to know that.

"If you stayed here waiting during bad weather, I bet you got sick a lot, didn't you?"

"Yeah, _a lot_. And you owe me big time for letting me wait that long."

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really, really, _really_ sorry. How could I ever pay you back?"

"I don't know...but maybe this will do." At the same second he finished talking, he kicked the cold water, making it splash against my face.

"_Hey_! That's a foul!" I playfully kicked him off his rock, and he fell into the beach, sending a lot of sparkly water splashing in the air.

"I just wet your face and you kick me into the water? _That's_ the foul. You better play fair, Clearwater." He grabbed my feet and instantly pulled me into the freezing water, sending a scream out of my mouth. I was wet, every part of me was wet—my body, my clothes, my hair.

He was laughing hysterically, like he has never been so happy before. I copied his deep laugh mockingly, giving my best at laughing in my voice's lowest pitch. It was his turn to take revenge. He splattered a handful of salty water on my face, and it directly hit my eyes. I was blind, and the more I tried not to be, the more it would feel like the salty water was feeding on my eyes.

"Hey! _That hurt_!" I shouted, but he never spoke.

"Sam?" Other than the waves, there was nothing.

"Sam?" I moved around, the waves staggered me backwards each time it went through me. I extended my arms to feel him nearby, but after a few seconds of reaching out, there was nothing to touch.

"_Samuel Uley_!" I growled, my voice echoed through the cliffs. Before another set of waves could even wash through me again, I made use of my time by walking deeper into the beach to look for him. From what my ears could hear, there was another one coming in.

A pair of hands slithered on my waist, lifting me a couple of steps away from the deepening depth of the beach. The dryness of my eyes subsided, and I could open it once again. I turned around and punched Sam's biceps.

"_Don't ever do that again, you jerk! I thought I lost you! Do you know that I don't effing know the way home? I don't even know how to swim! If I die, you will pay for my funeral, you_—" He held me so close against him, and before I even knew what was happening, his mouth was crushing violently against mine although his lips were so soft. I felt so light, like I didn't weigh anything. There was a roller coaster somewhere in my stomach, my heart was hammering like hell and I could tell that my whole body was cold. Honestly, I felt like peeing, but that would certainly have to wait.

I closed my eyes, clutched his face tightly, and crushed my mouth against his again, and again, and again. It couldn't get better, but I was wrong.

His lips forced mine open, and soon he was exploring my mouth. His cinnamon breath fanned around it, as if I were really eating cinnamons. Then, it was my turn. I don't know how long it went on.

Sadly, he pulled away and gasped wildly for air. I did too, with our chests violently rising and falling.

"You'll never lose me." I wondered what the heck he was talking about, and then I suddenly remembered that I told him how I was afraid of losing him a while ago. I know it was just moments ago, but it felt like it was years.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Because if I'll lose you, I'm as good as a corpse at the bottom of the sea."

"Same here. Sorry if the kiss was sudden. You're just so stunning when you're mad."

"Did I ever tell you that you look good in black?"

"I'm always in black.

"I know. That's why you always look good."

"Did I ever tell you that I love you more than anything else?" He asked as he took me in one of his divine embraces. I was melting inside it.

"You do?"

"Hell yeah."

"Did I ever tell you that I love you too?"

"No, but you just did. Wanna bet I love you more?"

"Really now."

"I'll show you."

He got a firm hold on my chin, tucked it up and kissed me again.


End file.
